About to debut, the Brazilian version of the Fiat Grande Panda has its name confirmed at a Stellantis event; name Uno was passed over for the continuation of the Argo
Stellantis confirmed, this Thursday (21), that its new Brazilian car will be called Fiat Argo. The launch, derived from the European Fiat Grande Panda, had been speculated as the ‘new Uno’, but will adopt the name of the model that is currently sold, being treated as its new generation.
Documents presented to investors, to which AutoPapo had access, show that the vehicle is already officially treated as the new Argo, receiving prominence among the group’s next launches in South America in the coming months.
The bet on the name Uno occurred because, in Europe, Fiat chose to rescue the classic Panda by baptizing its new model, resorting to nostalgia to boost sales of the hatch. As the Uno is directly derived from the Panda, logic indicated that the Brazilian version of the Great Panda, to be made in Betim (MG), could adopt the name of the national classic.
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The option for the name Argo, however, ended up winning, and was announced to investors in the conglomerate this week. Before, signs of this choice already appeared in the project’s internal code, called “Argo NG” by Fiat’s Brazilian technicians. In January of this year, the brand’s global CEO, Olivier François, also addressed the project as Argo in an interview with the French press.
Despite inheriting the retro-futuristic look of the European model, the national version Grande Panda — the new Argo — will undergo some adaptations for our market. Aesthetically, the main change will be the removal of the name “Panda” stamped in low relief on the doors and trunk lid, which will not bear the Brazilian name.
In addition, headlights with pixel-shaped daytime running lights should be restricted to top-of-the-line versions, giving way to simpler halogen or LED sets in the entry options to contain costs. The model should also gain suspension with exclusive calibration and a slightly larger ground clearance to deal with the Brazilian asphalt.
According to the Autos Segredos website, under the hood, the new generation of the hatch, built on the Smart Car modular platform, will take advantage of Stellantis’ engine portfolio in Brazil. The access versions should keep the aspirated 1.0 Firefly engine, with 75 hp and 10,7 kgfm and manual transmission. The most expensive configurations will adopt the 1.0 turbo engine with 130 hp and 20,4 kgfm, always associated with the CVT-type automatic transmission.
The market’s big bet is that these turbocharged versions will already arrive equipped with the brand’s new mild hybrid system, improving fuel consumption and reducing emissions.
In terms of positioning, the model will take over the direct fight with segment leaders, such as Volkswagen Polo, Chevrolet Onix and Hyundai HB20, detaching itself from the subcompact Mobi. Due to the new architecture and the more stuffed technological package, the estimate is that prices will jump.
The bets indicate values starting from the range of R$ 90 thousand in the entry-level versions and touching or even exceeding the barrier of R$ 130 thousand in the most complete hybrid variants. The new Fiat Argo should go into production at Fiat’s Minas Gerais plant from September, with arrival at dealerships at the end of the year.
